Pet Funeral

Something I have felt strongly teaching Jonathon about is death. It’s the one thing in life we can count on happening. Plus, Tim and I both have very large extended families, so it’s something Jonathon will experience many times over his lifetime.  

Jonathon’s sister Lindsey has always been a huge animal lover. Once Tim discharged from the Navy and we were in a permanent home Lindsey wanted animals. Somehow we acquired a little black and white bunny. I have no idea what happened, but the rabbit died.

I went and got Jonathon and showed it to him. I wanted him to see what being dead looked like. I really had to work hard at not freaking out when he touched it…Ewwww! I am not a toucher of dead things! However, I needed to hold it together or my plan of teaching him that death was ok would fail big time.

Lindsey decided we needed to have a funeral for the bunny. She made the casket, she dug the hole, she, Jonathon, and I all gathered for the service. We were standing around the carefully selected grave site of Linsdey’s choosing – southeast side of the back yard under the lilac bushes, (of which Jonathon would chop down shortly after) so much for the perfectly selected grave site.  After a few moments of silence, no one saying anything, I said “Jonathon, do you want to say a prayer for the bunny?” My thinking was his bedtime prayer which is “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Ahhhh, nope. Not the prayer he chose. He recited “Come Lord Jesus be our guest, let this food to us be blessed!”

Oh my God! The drama that followed! Lindsey’s eyes about popped out of her sockets as she gave me her look of “DO SOMETHING WITH HIM!” followed by a big “HMPH!” I quickly tucked my face into my shirt so the grieving owner wouldn’t see me chuckling! Then, I believe, she yelled something about Jonathon ruining the entire funeral and ran off, into the house. I’m pretty sure that was the one and only family pet funeral we ever had!

ps - Lindsey has recovered from the trauma!